Essex

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Now that we're finally into "summer proper", with temperatures regularly above 20 C (68 F), the numbers of butterflies have increased pretty dramatically. In addition to many Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, Essex Skippers (Thymelicus lineola) are dancing through the grasses of the pocket meadow. They're typically on the wing from mid-June through August, though they were quite late in appearing this year. Like many skippers, these little butterflies often hold their forewings at almost right angles to their hindwings when resting, which gives them quite a distinctive profile; they remind me ever so slightly of the American A-10 military plane (the "Warthog"). Their darting flight and bright orange upperwings separate them from all but their close relative, the Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris). In fact, the skippers are so similar that until the end of the 1800s, naturalists didn't even realize that there were two distinct species. The best way to tell them apart is to check undersides of the tips of their antennae; those of the Essex Skippers are dark (see above), while those of Small Skippers are pale. Needless to say, that regularly results in us scuttling around the garden, and getting down on our hands and knees to peer at butterfly undersides. (Yes, we're still nerds.)

In our garden, Essex Skippers far outnumber their cousins. They're common and widespread across southeastern and central England, and edging into the eastern part of Wales; their distribution that has more than doubled over the past few decades, and they're one of the few UK butterflies that isn't in trouble. They like tall, dry, sunny grasslands, so our pocket meadow is ideal. Essex Skippers spend most of their lives in an egg: from July until early April, in fact! The female lays her eggs in the sheath between a grass stem and leaf blade. The larvae hatch in early spring and feed on grasses, particularly Common Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata). The nectar-feeding adults prefer thistle flowers. Luckily, our garden's buffet includes plenty of choice for both larvae and adults!